We drove to Houston to catch our flights to London/Zurich. Then we caught a train to Milan, and there we boarded a sleeper train down to Naples, which is on the coast south of Rome. To the left you see our accommodations--I took the bottom bunk, our daughter took the middle, and my hubby took the high one. In the photo you can see me using th e sink, operating the hot/cold water with foot pedals. We shared compact three-person hotel rooms for much of the tour, but after the tiny train, they felt super spacious.

In Naples we had our first of what would become daily encounters with gelato. My favorite flavor of the week: chocolate rum.

We checked our luggage at the train station and caught a commuter train down to Pompeii, where we spent a drizzly day. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, it buried a first-century city in eight feet of ash--a disaster for its citizens, but a goldmine for contemporary scholars seeking to understand everyday first-century life. Since my focus is ancient lower- and middle-class women, this site is essential.

The city disappeared until it was rediscovered in the 1600s, and excavation got going 200 years later. The site serves as the backdrop of a story I plan to tell in my dissertation. The coliseum is a wonder, especially when we consider that it lay buried intact for so many centuries.

Late that night we caught a train up to Rome, where we spent three nights. During our first day we took two different hop-a-bus tours that gave us a feel for the entire city. We happened to be there for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification Day, so the city (really, the entire country) was decked out in flowers and flags.

The second bus took us to archaeological sites, including the catacombs, where the Christians buried their dead. (My Jewish friend told me that for a Christian, this was a must-see, and he was right.) We saw many examples of early Christian art. They especially liked the Jonah story, as Jonah was three days in the belly of the fish, which they saw as a picture of Jesus' three-day entombment before His resurrection. Frescoes and etchings had lots of fish and anchors. We also heard some inspiring stories of martyrs, some of whom were buried there (no photos allowed).

Once back inside Rome proper, we took a walking tour of the city at night, snacking our way through pizza and gelato shops, and stopping to enjoy the famous Trevi Fountain.

On our second day in Rome we had fantastic weather. We spent the morning at the Colosseum. Recently scholars have figured out what the strange maze under the floors was--a vast underworld of cranks and winches that sent animals and gladiators up through trap doors.

From there we headed to Vatican City. Before going inside we grabbed spaghetti and r avioli at a sidewalk cafe, enjoying the breeze and the people-watching. Italians definitely prefer black clothing in winter. And women wear boots, often up to the top of the knees. Food helpings were reasonable instead of "American excess" portions. And we walked off every extra calorie consumed.

Inside Vatican City we saw room after room of paintings (right), opulent art, and artifacts such that by the time we got to the Sistine Chapel (no photos allowed, sorry), we had hit sensory overload. But we pressed on to see St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Cathedral, and the windows to the pope's bedroom and study.

Because we went to Rome in March, we encountered almost no crowds anywhere, and the weather was unseasonably beautiful. From there we caught a train to northern Italy, where Chrissy picked us up. That evening I had the joy of speaking to the PWOC in Vicenza (Vee-CHEN-za).

Every morning Chrissy served up brioche fresh from the local bakery. And we had a l ot more fun with her (and one of her kids each day) as a tour guide. On our first full day with her, she took us to Verona in the morning (top two photos). From a distance we saw the castles of the two warring families from Romeo and Juliet, and in town we saw Juliet's balcony. (You'll recall that the story is set in "Fair Verona.")

The second half of the day we dropped off our daughter, who babysat Chrissy's three kids into the evening so Chrissy could take Gary and me to see Vicenza. It is probably best known as the home of the architect (Andrea Palladio, c. 1550) who designed many local structures, including the house on the right, and more importantly inspired the design of Jefferson's Monticello. But Vicenza is also a perfect example of an old Italian walled city.

The next day we experienced the grand finale of the trip: Venice. We spent the day there with Chrissy, her husband, and another of her daughters. My new favorite city is definitely Venice!

We started with a stop at the local bakery. Then we caught the hour-long train to the city. Once in Venice, we boarded a boat on the Grand Canal going to San Marcus Square, where we took the elevator in the tower to catch a breathtaking view of the city. At the top we picked up a Christmas tree ornament--something we do on every trip together. This one was of a glass gondola. Not all city rooftops are gorgeous, but Venice from the air was spectacular. And again we had fantastic weather when it counted. What's not to like about a city with water, boats, bridges, artisans, window boxes, men singing in the streets, gelato, pizza, and a thousand interesting shops?

Everybody but my husband and me returned to Chrissy's on an earlier train, but we stayed to stroll and shop our way back to the station, wending our way through romantique streets, bridges, and waterways. The day ended with a fantastic sunset that had us scrambling from bridge to bridge to catch the best angle. My hubby took over 1,000 photos on this trip. The next morning Chrissy showed us the vineyard five minutes from her house where people bring their plastic containers (picture what we tote gasoline in) and fill them with wine for about $1.50. We spent a little more time in Vicenza checking out their wonderful Palladian theater before catching our train to Milan, then through the Alps filled with chalets (it was snowing!) to Zurich, Switzerland. After eating an $18 hamburger (ouch!), we grabbed a short night of sleep and then boarded a 5 AM shuttle to the airport. We slept our way to London, and after nine hours to Houston followed by a four-hour drive home, we collapsed in our own beds. In a later post I plan to tell you about the movies I watched going and coming: "Secretariat," "Social Network," "Harry Potter 7," and "The King's Speech." And you'll hear a lot more about the places we visited and what we learned and observed. (For example, my daughter enjoyed photographing examples of improper English that will make you laugh.) But for now I'm off to eat granola for breakfast (wah!), experience gelato withdrawal, miss my friend, and face the mounds of editing and mail. Ciao!